The Minnesota Vikings are 2-0, and they got there with very little from the quarterback they brought in to lead them. Kyler Murray lasted 11 snaps in the opener before a concussion knocked him out, and Carson Wentz took it from there.
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport still likes where Minnesota sits after two weeks. In his look at every 2-0 and 0-2 team entering Week 3, he gave the Vikings a 65 percent chance to make the playoffs, even while calling them the toughest undefeated team to get a read on.
The defense is doing the heavy lifting
The case for Minnesota starts with Brian Flores’ defense. The Vikings closed with 29 straight points to beat the Green Bay Packers 39-22, then held the Chicago Bears to a field goal in a rain-soaked 9-3 win at Soldier Field. Dallas Turner had two sacks in Chicago, and Minnesota ranks fourth in the league in points allowed. It’s the first time since 2003 the Vikings have opened 2-0 with both wins coming against division opponents.
The offense is another story. Murray completed 3 of 5 passes for 18 yards with an interception before leaving the opener. He has since cleared the concussion protocol and will start Sunday at Tampa Bay. “He’s doing great,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said. Still, the Vikings managed just 246 total yards and no touchdowns against the Bears in Week 2, and nobody is mistaking this group for a finished product.
The backfield is thin, too. Jordan Mason is on injured reserve, and Aaron Jones is working through a knee injury after carrying the ball 23 times for 105 yards in Chicago. If Jones is limited, more of the load shifts to a quarterback who has taken 11 regular-season snaps for his new team.
That’s what makes Sunday’s trip to face the 0-2 Buccaneers such a big test. Davenport gave Tampa Bay just a 30 percent playoff chance, and a Vikings win would push Minnesota to 3-0 while putting Baker Mayfield and the Bucs in a deep hole. If Murray looks sharp in his return, that 65 percent figure could start to look low.
